Before Nasser Mohammed (35) had to enter into an arranged marriage, he applied for political asylum in the US. It was an escape. The step into a life he eventually wanted to lead.
Nasser Mohammed is a doctor – and gay. That alone isn’t worth mentioning, but Nas, as he calls himself, is originally from Qatar. His origin and his sexual orientation are incompatible. He broke with his parents and thus with his homeland while studying medicine in the US. Today, he lives freely as a gay man in San Francisco.
The World Cup starts in Qatar in three weeks. For the first time, the most important football tournament will take place in the winter – and in an Arab country. A country that has two faces, but only wants to show one to the world: glittering skyscraper facades, prosperity, progressiveness. If you look behind these facades, you see less impressive things: hundreds of thousands of migrant workers, human rights violations, total surveillance. Blick TV reporter Ramona Schelbert and Blick reporter Tobias Ochsenbein therefore report this week about the desert state that the whole world will soon be watching.
“I grew up in a very conservative Muslim family. As a teenager I realized that I was different from other boys my age. Only: I didn’t know I was gay. Because I had no access to the Internet or Western media, I was unable to get any information about my condition. LGBTQ issues were never discussed in school,” he says during an online interview.
First LGBTQ person to come out in Qatar
The Emirate of Qatar has enshrined Wahhabi Islam as a religion in its constitution and applies Sharia law. Homosexuality is not basically forbidden in the Quran, but there is a passage that condemns fornication. Many conservative countries use this component to persecute LGBTQ people. Also Qatar.
“I am the first LGBTQ Qatari to come out publicly. For that I had to be prepared to lose everything, including my family and friends,” says Nas. His motivation: drawing attention to the situation of the LGBTQ community in his home country. “You are afraid. You have to hide yourself and your feelings.”
Qatari authorities are making systematic efforts to locate and detain LGBTQ people, Nas said. “They can show up and take you at any time, even on a date at a restaurant.” And, “They take you to secret places, torture you mentally and physically, and put you in re-education programs.” He has not experienced this himself, but he does know people who had to experience it in Qatar. Since coming out, he has become a spokesperson for the Qatari LGBTQ community. Because he lives in freedom and can talk about anything.
In Qatar itself it is almost impossible to talk to victims. There are dating apps that can only be used over secure connections. In addition, Nas warns that the police are also active on such sites – with fake profiles. Official inquiries to the Qatari Supreme Committee (SC) – which is responsible for overseeing all construction and infrastructure projects for the World Cup and the first official point of contact for media representatives – have come to nothing. “Unfortunately, we are unable to assist with a contact person from the LGBTQ community,” it reads.
Showing affection in public is forbidden
Meeting with Fatma al Nuaimi (39), spokeswoman for SC media. She avoids the critical topic: “We have always said that all people are welcome in Qatar – regardless of their origin, religion or sexual orientation. We are a melting pot of all cultures,” she says. But also: “When we travel, we respect other cultures and expect the same from tourists.”
Showing affection in public is prohibited, both by members of the LGBTQ community and by heterosexuals. In fact, in Doha, you rarely see couples holding hands or kissing in public.
Like Nasser Mohammed, international human rights organizations are also trying to capitalize on the global interest in Qatar and put pressure on improving human rights in the wake of the upcoming World Cup. Here too, women’s rights are central.
For example, Human Rights Watch criticizes that a woman is considered “disobedient” if she works in public jobs, studies abroad, or travels without her husband’s consent. These restrictions would violate the Qatari constitution and international law.
Fatma al Nuaimi also has an answer ready: “Women play a decisive role in the development of the country. There are working women in every sector – not just as simple labourers, but also in leadership positions.” She points out that more than 60 percent of Qatar’s university degrees are awarded to women.
Qatar’s model women
Sheikha Moza bint Nasser (63) is considered a model woman in Qatar. Educated, she is the mother of seven children and the second of three wives of former Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (70). She initiated the “Education City”, a twelve square kilometer campus that houses some of the world’s leading universities, business incubators and technology hubs. Young women in Qatar look up to her. For example, the influencer and entrepreneur Haneen Al Saify (30).
Haneen, a Palestinian born in Qatar, is herself a star in the emirate. The chemical engineer graduate has nearly 955,000 followers on Instagram and rarely has time. Blick meets her between trips at her restaurant in one of Doha’s most luxurious shopping centers. She just got back from Paris Fashion Week, with two iPhones in front of her that constantly demand her attention. Her recipe for success: she combined fashion with religion and tradition.
She says: “The course has helped me to develop further. Realizing what I want to do in the future, who I want to be.” Not least because of her many travels, she has become a kind of missionary for her country and its women. Her main message is: “The Arab and Muslim women in Qatar are powerful. Most of us are independent and supported by our country.”
Emir gives citizens a share of the country’s wealth, but there is little criticism
Haneen says that most Qatari women work as entrepreneurs. “We need a good education, a good health system and a house to live in – we all get that from the state. But that doesn’t mean we just sit at home and do nothing.”
Haneen Al Saify is a good example of the contradictions in traditional Qatari society. She is successful, travels a lot and is considered a role model for the modern Qatari woman. At the same time, she earns her money selling hijabs, a piece of clothing used to cover the hair, ears and neck.
And perhaps the comparison in Qatar is really that simple: Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (42) buys the citizens’ loyalty by giving them free study at top universities and sharing in the wealth of the country. In return, citizens abstain from political participation and overly critical opinions.